you're right to wonder why the 916 lot **** the 999 when ever they get the chance, even doing it on the 999 site,
The 999 is the best looking Ducati I've seen but you have to ask why they made it look a bit ugly when they bought out the 05 one,
I think the 05 looks good with the race stickers but not so good when it's just red,
back to your point, I wonder if we will feel the same as the 916 lot when they bring out the new one,
It might be that unlike the jap bike we get too attached to our bikes, and as the saying goes love is blind and I think thats the answer,
Love is blind,
And why my 04 looks better than you 05,
:flame: :burn: :burn:

To a blind man in a welder's mask!

the 999 have come on a bit with the colour frame and decent swing arm
but when they 1st came out I think they looked pants
where as the 916 when it came out looked like it had just rolled of the race track
999 look good in race trim but that includes the extra frame brace under the tank for me

taste is a funny thing. I really dont like the new swing arm on the 999. I really appreciate the craftmanship and texture of the original cast swing arm, for me its a real peice of engineering beauty, the shape, the finish, those radii, the newer welded one just doesn't have that for me. But I have a bias as I work in manufacturing and when I get the rare opportunity to work with castings I love it as you can do do much with them but the tooling costs a fortune and the castings have a limited life. Working with aluminium extrusions is much more common for me and I see them as a cheap method of construction, so because of that I am biased towards the cast arm. There is probably a performance benefit in the newer arm, but to be fair I am not a good enough rider to notice it, if it were there.

actually, tbh, I now hate them cos I would like to try one, but dont like buying new(ish) bikes cos of all the depreciation.

I didn't like them when they first came out. Too radical and far removed from the 996 shape. Now, it's definitely a case of 'love is blind'. I can't remember why I didn't lilke the look of them in the first place, tbh. It's just a fantastic machine to ride. In fact, every time I ride the 749 I think about getting rid of the other two and just keeping this one.

Admittedly, there are lots of bikes I haven't ridden and maybe I'd feel the same about them if I had a go on them but I doubt it because the Ducati brand captured my imagination long before I was a biker with the 916 in a way that no other make has since. I think brand loyalty has a lot to do with accepting the new designs.

Mark, you have to have a go on my bike. Next BHCN rideout, let's swap bikes and you'll see what I mean.

Ive been full of love this evening as my baby returned safely from Almeria.
Shes now cleaned and polished blanketed, and snug back up her heated corner........

Well I have owned a 748SPS, a 998S and two 999S's and now ride an S4RS (waiting to see what the 1098 is like before I jump ship) and having cocked a leg on them all, as you put it, I can honestly say that the most rewarding of these was the 748SPS, despite the 999 supposedly being a better bike to ride. Maybe I am the odd one out.

Thats just the sort of comment that prompted this thread.
Go outside and smack yourself with a lump of 4 x 2.If you cant manage it,...I'll do it for ya,.....:frog: